Better Choices
by ZoneOut3
Summary: Another Naruto Re-write. I don't really know what this story will turn into. First Fanfic.
1. A Fox's Rage

Unforgivable.

That's the only way to describe this.

This situation.

This defeat.

This seal.

Again.

All I desired was freedom. To live freely. To wait for the one that father spoke of all those years ago.

I was told to wait and believe.

To believe in someone who would come before me and show me what true power is like.

That someone was supposed to be among this new species that continued to overtake the lands throughout history.

Humans. That's their name.

Such foul beings.

Arrogant, Weak, Starving for Power, Full of Hypocrisy, Unworthy...

The list was endless.

Completely Unlike Father.

How could he expect me to believe that one of these creatures would show me what true power is like.

'These creatures are nothing like you, Father. They're not kind. They're cruel. They seek out war and evil at the bottom of their hearts. After you left this world, their hatred overflowed out into the world. The power of kindness that you taught as Ninshu. It has been transformed into the power of harming other as what these humans call Ninjutsu.'

These creatures destroy each other, Father. And they destroy the beautiful world around them. They infect this world with hatred and their chakra is poisonous.

And through their actions and my interactions with them... since you left... I have become like them.

I have been forced to fight to avoid being captured and used as a slave for my power.

I, no...

We, all nine of us you left behind, had to use the power of kindness you left us in order to protect ourselves.

Yes, the power of kindness became a power of destruction... even for us.

But it was all in vain.

Now, not only have these creatures captured and used us over the years, but we've had to fight each other at times.

Yes, father.

These beings have gained the power to control us and use us as weapons to sort out their own conflicts.

Is this the true power you spoke of?

Is this what you wanted me, no, all of us, to see?

Why?

So that the teachings of the father I once loved and respected would be tarnished?

So that I would hate you after your death?

Your sons have been nothing like you.

They're the ones that started this whole mess and caused the kind power of Ninshu to be replaced by the evil ideology of Ninja.

Why do we need to see this true power, anyway?

To me, you were already the most magnificent being full of power in existence.

You left so many questions before you left.

And finally... You left... That is your greatest sin.

You, who we saw as a teacher, died against an enemy who is powerless against me.

The enemy known as "Time".

We last forever as beings of chakra.

You never told us that.

When we die, whether it be alone in battle or with our beings sealed into the body of a human, we hope to free of this cruel world and see you again on what the humans call "The other side".

But no, we reform back to our original states, the humans seek us out, we fight against them, and the cycle repeats itself.

You should see me now, old man.

Here I am, locked away in another seal, inside another human, for what I believe to be the third time.

I am full of hatred. I am no longer the gentle baby fox that listened to your teachings of kindness, peace, and tranquility.

All I want is the blood, tears, and heart wrenching screams of the stupid creatures you left behind for us to deal with.

'Where's your prophecy now, you lying old fool?'

And if this isn't enough, guess who the new human that I'm sealed inside of is?

A human... baby.

A human... newborn... baby.

...

Fuck my life.

His name is Uzumaki Naruto.

That is the name of the one I will kill next.

First, it was Uzumaki Mito during my extraction from her body.

Then her descendant, Uzumaki Kushina, along with her husband, too.

And now, her kid is up next.

Just you wait, you lying full-of-shit sage. I'll deny your destiny of this chosen one who will show me true power.

I'll cut away at that joke you call a prophecy.

I, Kurama, The Nine Tailed Fox, shall continue to tear away at the humans that you put so much faith in.

I'll take the name of "Demon" and become carnage incarnate once again.

That is the only path left for me now. I care not for my kin.

This is my bloody road.

'Just Watch Me.'

I need time, though. The boy must grow. He must become able to tap into my power.

Oh, and he will. They always do.

This is going to be fun.

Yes, this current state is unforgivable.

But the future is something else entirely.


	2. A Fox's Freedom

It's been six years now.

I've waited patiently for six years.

I've watched my host grow over these past couple years.

He lived as a quiet orphan who got good treatment from the village leader.

An elderly man, not the one who sealed me away.

This man was what they called the Sandaime Hokage.

He set out to make sure my host was comfortable while still so young.

First, the boy was kept in a hospital after my attack on the village.

Then, he was moved to a clan residence: The Sarutobi Compound.

There, he was treated well and learned to read and write.

He is being kept under the supervision of masked shinobi called ANBU Black Ops as well.

Overall, this brat was well nurtured. However, I've noticed something interesting.

And I think the boy has noticed it too. Even at his young age.

He is the only child here.

Ever since the beginning, neither I or my host have seen another brat around this compound.

I'm not human, but isn't it the same for all creatures to inevitably grow restless when kept in solitary confinement?

And restless he was. The boy became more and more moody around his ANBU guards and caretakers in the compound.

More than 90% of the people he saw day to day were wearing masks. And all 100% of them were adults.

If he were an idiot, he would think that he was the only child to ever exist.

But my host is surprisingly clever.

That's right.

I'm praising this human brat. He has become very entertaining to watch.

Don't be mistaken, father.

I hate humans.

I hate my host.

I will kill him.

That is a fact.

But...

Watching him finally develop a personality and speak his thoughts is... interesting.

I never saw this stage of development with Mito or Kushina.

Both were adults when I was sealed into them.

But this one. He's smart. Really smart.

He asked one of his guards why they were all tall while he was short. They told him he was a child and that he would eventually grow to be as tall as them. Then, my host asked the guard to show him other kids at the compound. The guard became tense. Suddenly, he angerly refused this demand and gazed over to a particular tall wooden gate across the lawn. Then, he told the boy to go back to playing his toys. The boy said okay and walked back to his place in the room.

Not very impressive, right?

Wrong.

The boy plays in a room called a library. A large room filled with books. Notable texts full of vital information and intriguing stories.

Intriguing to him. I could care less.

Let's make that clear.

Ever since he learned to read, the boy had grown bored of his pretend kunai and other flimsy toys. Instead, he immersed himself in learning history and stories about the world around him. He keeps an open mind and takes in everything around him. Now, here he is, at six years old, interpreting the body language of an ANBU guard.

Don't get me wrong.

I hate this kid.

I will destroy this kid.

But right now... I'm rather impressed.

As the boy went back to occasionally playing with his toys and reading more pages of a book, he began to think of a way to distract his guards and get over that gate.

Uzumaki Naruto. Age six.

Spiked long blonde hair, cerulean blue eyes, whisker marks on his cheeks (courtesy of myself), and an interesting tendency to amuse a nine tailed demon fox sealed away in his body.

Interesting.

Soon, it was night time.

It was time for Naruto to put his plan in motion.

It was a basic strategy, but seeing it being pulled off was going to be interesting.

Grab the heaviest book, I think its called a dictionary. Hit it against the guards head while he dazed off staring into the sky while sitting on the porch. Take his sword, cut the lock on the wooden gate, and explore the village without supervision with some hope of finding other children.

The boy tried to account for any problems. He had a map of the village that he tore out from one of the books. He knew the perfect way to get behind the guard without being noticed as well.

9:00 PM

Let the show begin.

Naruto is playing with his ball and pretend kunai. The guard glances over at him and then looks back at the sky. Probably zoning out from the boredom of watching the brat.

Naruto purposely rolls his ball across the room. The guard notices this and looks away again. Probably expecting Naruto to get up and retrieve it.

Naruto gets up and walks to the area behind the seated guard to get his ball. However, he quietly picks up the thickest book off the shelf while saying:

"Alright, I got it back. This ball is really bouncy, ha ha."

The guard doesn't look back. His shoulders are relaxed. His breathing is calm.

Now this is where it gets interesting.

Naruto suddenly realizes that he'll be found out if he tries quietly walking over while carrying the heavy dictionary.

He comes to a conclusion. He has to chuck it at the guard's head.

But is he strong enough to throw a dictionary across the room? Is his aim good enough to his the back of the guard's head?

It's now or never.

As Naruto's heart starts pumping loudly, he begins to hesitate. He doesn't want to hurt the guard. He doesn't want to get in trouble.

But he can't stand staying in this little room in the compound anymore.

It's too boring and lonely in here. Toys and books can only do so much.

He had not seen the Sandaime in weeks, too.

I continued to watch and hear the boy's thoughts. And then, I heard something I never expected to hear:

'I... want to be... free...'

I can't explain what I felt at that moment.

This boy, who was only six, was experiencing the same situation and feeling the same desires as me.

In fact, he may be experiencing an even worse situation than me.

At least I know why the humans seal me away.

But this child, he doesn't know anything beyond a couple thousand words, numbers, fairy tales, and heroic ninja stories.

He doesn't know why he is being kept from the outside world.

That... seemed wrong...

It doesn't sit right with me, father.

This human, a youth, doesn't even know why he is being confined to this room and constantly guarded.

As I continued to ponder my thoughts, the boy continued to think, that's when I heard this:

'I will... be free.'

There it was. A declaration of intent. My host had just declared war on the authority of these so-called "adults".

Yes, boy! Be free! Live your life in whatever way you see fit!

I'm rooting for him, father. I hardly know him. And he hardly knows I exist.

Yet, I want to see that guard get pummeled by this weapon known as a dictionary!

I couldn't help but smirk as I saw him lift the enormous book with his chubby little arms.

I immediately realized that the boy never had much physical activity. His throws were weak. The book wouldn't reach and he would remain cooped up in this room forever!

LIKE HELL!

This seal is strong. But it's designed in an intricate way. My chakra flows into this boy's chakra network and naturally mixes into it.

It'll hurt the boy's muscles, but I'll heal them right away. It's the only way now!

'I can augment his strength. I can help him!'

What the hell is happening to me?! Why am I so into this?

Have I grown so bored of being cooped up in this seal that I'm really going to give my power to a six year old just to throw a damn book?

Well... yes. I suppose so.

As you humans often say: what happened next was EPIC.

Naruto brought his arm back, I added a small bit of chakra, and...

**WHAM!**

The dictionary became a airborne over-sized bullet of destruction.

The ANBU guard was knocked out cold.

...

My host, a six year old, knocked out a Konoha ANBU guard... with a book...

I'm overcome with joy.

True joy for the boy who had found his freedom.

Naruto wasted no time. He pulled the heavy short sword from the sheathe strapped to the ANBU's back.

Unfortunately, he couldn't lift it. The ache in his tender muscles was too much.

I healed him, but it looks like he would need more of my assistance for this breakout operation.

'Very well, brat. I'll lend you a hand... for now...'

As I injected more chakra, Naruto effortlessly picked up the sword with one hand now.

I could hear him gritting his teeth in pain.

'Looks like my chakra takes its toll on him. He'll have have to cut that lock quickly.'

Naruto ran for the big wooden gate across the lawn with the sword ready.

'Do it, boy! Cut the lock...NARUTO!'

**SHINK!**

Naruto immediately dropped the sword after cutting the lock. He was writhing on the ground in pain. His chubby little arms were turning red from all the blood pumping through his veins and silent tears started falling from his eyes.

However, his next thought made everything seem okay.

'Totally... worth it.'

And with that, Naruto got up and started out the gate.

It was time for our nighttime adventure to begin.

...

Nothing has changed.

I still hate humans.

I'm going to kill them all.

No doubt about it.

But at the very least, father...

My host... isn't so bad.


End file.
